This feedback reflects my experience in Hachette UK's central teams and may not fully represent the experience within the publishing divisions, though some points apply across the entire company.
- Managerial Training and Readiness: Many managers are promoted to positions they are neither prepared for nor adequately trained to handle.
- Lack of Progression Support: There is minimal support for career advancement, whether through adequate training, salary increases, or promotions. Progression at Hachette/Publishing often requires putting in long hours to gain significant experience, particularly within central teams.
- Promotions and Salary Increases: Significant promotions and salary increases occur only when employees resign or when their line managers leave. This is a consistent trend throughout the company, affecting both central teams and divisions.
- Recognition and Rewards: High performance and significant team efforts are neither rewarded nor celebrated, whether through team events, salary increases, promotions, or training opportunities.
- Clarity and Strategy: Objectives and team strategies are often unclear, making it difficult for employees to see a path for their own development or progression.
- Valuing National Office Employees: Employees in national offices feel undervalued compared to those in the main London office.
- International Mobility: There is little facilitation or encouragement for mobility between different countries.
- Work Hours: Long hours are a common expectation.
- Training Quality: The quality of training offered to central teams is generally poor, lacking in depth and effectiveness. While publishing and management-oriented trainings are somewhat adequate, other types of training are virtually non existent or not very advanced.
- Onboarding Experience: The onboarding experience has been poor, although it has improved over the years.
- Internal Communications: Internal communications around organisational changes are lacking, with changes often not being communicated or explained thoroughly.
- Work Environment: The work environment for central teams tends to be unenthusiastic and uninspiring.
- Team Collaboration: Most teams are understaffed and primarily focus on their own goals, with little encouragement for collaboration between teams.
